Finally the zebras. The federal franchise opens its Challenge Cup adventure on Saturday at 2 p.m. There will be nothing weird yet. The team’s nothing but the past month and a half. The last official match was on October 23, the fifth day of the United Rugby Championship, when Bisegni and his team lost 10-27 to Edinburgh at home this season.

Calvary

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During these 49 days, the zebras saw each other, and Kovid put his hand in every mutation. The break was first due to the national team’s commitment to Test matches in November, however Maxim Mbanda had to give it up due to the positivity of the virus. Meanwhile, a small group under the command of staff led by Michael Bradley continued in Parma, welcoming two grafts from Timothy Omali and Liam Mitchell from New Zealand in preparation for a double trip to South Africa. They will face the Stormers for the first time in Cape Town on November 27 and then the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, December 4. A few days after arriving in South Africa, news of the explosion of the Omiciron variant from Rainbow Nation caused an alarm. Urc canceled all scheduled games (in addition to the zebras, the Irish in Munster, South Africa had two Welsh Scarlets and the Cardiff Blues) and the team was forced to close at a hotel in Cape Town. When to organize a return to Italy. In the midst of blocking flights to Europe, a series of endless tampons (always negative and, fortunately), a few words of consolation and a few facts from Farnacina, were updated on social media by President Michel Dalai about the condition of the zebras. , I returned to Italy on Monday 29 November after a charter flight I shared with Cardiff Blues and organized Urc to Dublin. From here, take a new flight to the Italian franchise, Bologna and a bus to Parma. Everyone at home? Not an opportunity.

Forty-nine days

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Of course, it went badly in Munster and even in Scarlett, who were forced to stay longer in South Africa due to some positivity recorded in the team group. Even the Welsh had to abandon the Champions Cup match against Bristol Bears earlier this week due to a lack of available athletes, thus conceding a 28-0 defeat. Returning to the zebra’s disaster, the 42 people (players, coaches, medical, health staff and managers) who once traveled to South Africa in Parma had to stay in isolation at the Hotel Villa Ducal, located at the entrance to Sport‌s. The center of Moletolo is home to the Rugby Citadel, which houses the Lanfranchi Stadium and all the training complexes of the franchise. It was only after 4 more days at the hotel (social media talked about the team hosting a remote surprise party for Leon Embanda’s first birthday that the New Zealanders turned the buffalo mozzarella and bedrooms into small gyms for the first time). OK from Parma’s ASL to return to the field for training. However, again, with limitations. The 30 athletes who went to South Africa had to undergo special training from those who did not participate in the away match (injured, nationals were at rest). The hotel-camp bubble lasted for another 3 days, and then – as the molecular swabs were always negative – everyone was able to return to their homes. Since the start of the week, everything seems to have finally returned to normal except for two heavy snowfalls in Parma on Wednesdays and Fridays. Although the sheets are laid in a timely manner on the lawn franchise lawn, good work will be required to establish the shovel and field. But Zebra-Biarritz will play. 49 days later, this is already good news.